Rotary engine.



No. 744,816. r PATENTED NOV. 24, 1903. E. M. STURGIS. ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 18. 1903.-

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'No. 744,816. PATENTED NOV. 24, 1903.

' E. M. STURGIS.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 18, 1903.

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PATENTED NOV. 24, 1903.

E. M. STURGIS. ROTARY ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED A PR. 18, 1903.

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anoenfoz UNITED STATES Patented November 24, 1903.

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EDWIN M. STURGIS, OF HAMILTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO v CHRISTIAN G. FISCHER, OF HAMILTON, OHIO.

ROTARY ENGINE.

5'.PI..CIF1ICA TION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 744,816, dated November 24, 1903. Application filed April 18, 1903. $erial No. 153,248. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWIN M. STURGIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hamilton, in the county of Butler and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to that class of rotary engines in which the piston revolves concentrically with the shaft in the cylinder and in which the abutments which confine the steam are slidable axially to allow the piston to pass.

The object of the invention is to form an improved engine of the kind stated which shall be reversible and have novel and improved valve-action.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the engine. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section. Fig. 3 is an end View with the cylinder-head removed. Fig. 4is an elevation of the other end. Fig. 5 is an elevation of the same end with the cylinder head or plate removed. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the cylinder-barrel with the valve-chest removed. Figs. 7and S are respectively front and edge views of the reversing and operating valves; and Fig. 9 is a plan of the piston, main shaft, and cams thereon which operate the abutments.

Referring specifically to the drawings, 1 indicates the head, and 2 the barrel, of the cylinder, and 3 is a cover plate or head for the rear end of the cylinder to cover and inclose the valve mechanism. The cylinder is counterbored to form a circular space, in which the piston 4 revolves, and has diametrically opposite axial or longitudinal grooves, in which the sliding abutments 8 travel. Otherwise the cylinder is substantially solid and forms a wide hearing at 18* for the main shaft 18, to which the piston is secured and which extends throughsuitable stuffing-boxes in the heads. The cylinder also has concentric circular recesses, one of which is adjacent the piston-space and the other of which is at the end adjacent the cover-plate 3. In the former of these recesses the cam 4 revolves. This cam is secured to and in longitudinal alinement with the piston 4 and serves to throw theabutments 8 to allow the piston to pass. In the latter of said recesses the cam 6 revolves. This comprises a collar keyed to the shaft and serves to throw the abutments 8 behind the passing piston. The grooves in which the abutments 8 slide cross or communicate with the outer edges of the cam-spaces, so that the cams take behind shoulders 8, formed in the inner edge of the plates which constitute the abutments. It will be appreciated that in the rotation of the piston and shaft the abutments will project into the piston-space by reason of the shape of the cam 6'except at the passage of the piston, when the cam 43 will throw the respective abutment-plate lengthwise of the cylinder out of the way of the piston and that after the passage of the piston the abutments will be immediately thrown back or closed by the cam 6. 1

Above and below each 'of the spaces in which the abutments 8 work are steam-passages 7, which extend from the piston-space rearwardly or lengthwise through the body of the cylinder to the valve-chests 5, said chests being formed, by recesses in the cylinder-casing covered by plates 5, bolted to the casing. The openings of thepa'ssages into the val vechests are indicated clearly at 7 in Fig. 6, and these passages become, respectively, inlet and exhaust passages during the operation of the engine. The valves which control these passages are indicated at 9 and 10, 9 being the reverse-valves and 10 the operating and cut-off valves. These valves consist of plates the stems of which extend lengthwise into the valve-chests through the-end wall thereof, and the stems of the reversevalves 9 extend through the cover-plate 3 to connect with the reverse-lever 13, whereby they are operated. Each of these valves 9 has two ports, (indicated at 60,) either of which may be brought to register with one of the passages 7, opening an inlet or exhaust, according to the direction of motion desired. The operating-valves 10 comprise plates located under the valves 9 and pivoted at 10 to the body of the cylinder forming the base of the valve-chests. These valve-plates 10 have ports I) therethrough and lie between-the ports in the valves 9 and the openings '7 of the steam-passages. The plates 10 oscillate on their pivots, and steam is let into the cylinder, when the ports a, b, and 7 are caused to register. The valve-plates 9 also have exhaust-grooves c, which are caused to register with one or the other of the openings 7. When the position of the slide 9 is such that one port a registers with one opening 7, the groove 0 registers with the other opening 7. The groove communicates with the opening of the exhaust-pipe 22 in the bottom of the valve-chests. The exhaust-pipe is forked, as at 22, giving two openings-into the valvechests, so as to accommodate either position of the valve 9.

The oscillating valves 10 are operated by means of a cam 12 on the main shaft, which engages a yoke 11, the arms of which are connected to the stems of the valves. Rectilinear motion of the yoke is assured by pins 25, which work in slots formed in the yoke. The cover plate or slide 3 is offset orrecessed on the inside from the end of the cylinder to provide a space in which the cam and yoke work.

The branches of the steam-inlet pipe are indicated at 19, communicating with f the valve-chests, respectively.

In operation the lever 13 is thrown tobring the reversing-Valves 9 in proper position for the direction of rotation desired, when the valve 10 is then thrown so that the ports I) register with openings 7 and respectively with port tr and groove act the plate 9. This admits steam through a, b, and 7 and eX- hausts steam through 7 b, and c. When the sliding abutment 8 on one side is thrown into the piston-space behind the piston, the abutment of the other side is thrown out for the piston to pass, and when it shall have passed the opposite movement takes place. The motion of the valves 10 is the same on both sides; but owing to the fact that their ports are in consequence of the position of the valves 9 in communication with the inlet and exhaust, respectively, the live steam is admitted between the abutment and piston at one side, while the dead steam is exhausted at the other, and the piston thus receives two impulses during each revolution.

The engine may be conveniently compounded by placing two cylinders on the same shaft with the heads 1 of the cylinders together or joined to form a single head between two cylinders. In this case, of course, suitable cross-steam connections must be made.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. In a rotary engine, the combination with a cylinder, and a shaft and piston therein, said cylinder having opposite longitudinal grooves opening into the piston-space, and annular cam-spaces between the grooves, of abutments slidable axially in the grooves and having shoulders at their inner edges, and operating-cams on the shaft in said spaces, engaging the shoulders of the abutments.

2. In a rotary engine, the combination with a cylinder having inlet and exhaust ports, and a valve-chest, of a sliding reversing-valve in the chest, over the ports, and an oscillating valve between said valve and the ports.

3. In a rotary engine, the combination with a cylinder, piston, diametrically opposite abutments slidable axially in the cylinder, said cylinder having steam-passages opening on both sides of the abutments, and diametrically opposite valve chests, of oscillating and reversing valves in each chest, and means to operate the same.

4. In a rotary engine, the combination with a cylinder, shaft, a piston on the shaft within the cylinder, and diametrically opposite valve-chests on the cylinder, of an oscillating valve in each chest, over the steam-ports, a cam on the shaft within the cylinder, and a yoke over the'cam, connected to the valves, substantially as described.

5. In a reversible rotary engine, the combination with a cylinder having diametrically opposite inlet and exhaust passages, axially-slidable abutments in the cylinder between the passages, and diametrically opposite valve-chests, of an oscillating operatingvalve and a reversing-valve, in each chest, over the entrance tothe passages.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

- EDWIN M. STURGIS.

WVitnesses:

JOHN F. NEILAN, R. L. FLINN. 

